Early years
The early years of a childs life have an enormous impact on their health, wellbeing and lifelong learning, which is why its so important that children have access to quality preschool and early care learning programs.
The department is committed to ensuring that every child is able to attend quality early childhood programs. An example is our mobile preschools which travel to some remote communities with qualified staff who work with local staff to deliver quality preschool programs.
In the Northern Territory, school is compulsory from the age of six. The Northern Territory Curriculum Framework forms the basis of learning programs from Transition onwards.
From 2010, children will enter Transition at the start of the school year. Children who have their 4th birthday before 30 June will start preschool, and children who have their 5th birthday before 30 June will start in Transition at school.
Tip sheet for parents (pdf 722 kb) | Front cover (pdf 1.5 Mb)
Related links
- Early childhood services
- Early Years Framework
- Age of entry for pre-compulsory schooling
- Raising a Reader
- Strong Beginnings is a guide for early childhood educators. It aims to be a practical and explicit interpretation of the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF) for the pre-compulsory years of preschool and transition.
- Universal access to early childhood education
All Australian governments, including the Northern Territory Government, have agreed to work towards universal access for all children in the year before formal schooling.